Coin-controlled actuating mechanism for autopneumatic pianos.



A. J. HOBART.

00m CONTROLLED AGTUATING MECHANISM FOR AUTOPNEUMATIG PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1909. 958,125

Patented May 17, 1910.

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. A. J. HOBART.

COIN GONTROLLED AGTUATING' MECHANISM FOR AUTOPNEUMATIU PIANOS.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. 29, 1909.

Patpnted May 17,1910.

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ADAM J'. HOBART, OF ST. JOHNSVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO F. ENGELHARIDT & SONS, OF ST. JOHNSVILLE, NEW YORK, A FIRM.

COIN-CONTROLLED ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR AUTOPNEUMATIC PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADAM J. HOBART, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. J ohnsville, Montgomery county, State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Actuating Mechanism for Autopneumatic Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a coin controlled actuating mechanism for autopneumatic pianos and similar instruments, which is so constructed that a number of coins may be introduced into the coin slot in rapid succession, the first of said coins starting the instrument, while the following coins will be stored in a magazine. From this magazine the coins are successively discharged, in an automatic manner, to restart the piano after the music piece actuated by the descent of the previous coin has been completely rendered. Thus, if a person inserts ten coins into the coin slot, ten pieces of music will be successively played, one piece starting immediately after the previous piece has been finished, so that the instrument may render, continuously, several pieces of music without requiring repeated attention.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front view, partly broken away, of my improved coin-controlled actuating mechanism, showing diagrammatically its connection with the driving motor and tracker bar; Fig. 2 a rear view, partly in section, of the actuating mechanism, showing the parts in a different position; Fig. 3 a vertical cross section on line 3-3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 an enlarged section through the coin receptacles and adjoining parts, taken on line 44, Fig. 3; Fig. 5 a similar section showing the parts in a different position; Fig. 6 a horizontal section on line 6-6, Fig. 4, and Fig. 7 a vertical section, partly broken away, on line 7*7, Fig. 4.

The numeral 10 indicates an electromotor which, by rope 11, or otherwise, drives the power shaft 12 of an autopneumatic piano or similar instrument.

13 is the tracker bar and 14 the feed roller for the perforated music sheet, all as usual.

In order to start the electromotor by the insertion of a coin and to arrest the motor after the piece of music has been played, the following construction has been devised: To the frame of an autopnmlmatic piano is Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 29, 1909.

Patented May 17, 1919.

Serial No. 486,479.

secured a boX or casing 15 provided with an upper door 16 and a lower door 17. Door 16 gives access to an upper chamber 18 containing the operative mechanism of the apparatus, while door 17 gives access to a lower chamber or coin box 19, in which the coins are collected. Within chamber 18 is mounted a frame 20 provided with a pair of contacts 21, 22, insulated from the frame, as at 23. Contacts 21, 22 are adapted to be engaged by a switch-knife 24 carried by the movable board of a pneumatic or bellows 25, the fixed board of which is secured to a depending arm 26 of frame 20. A spring 27, interposed between the fixed and movable boards of bellows 25, tends to expand the latter, whereby knife 24 is thrown between contacts 21, 22, (Fig. 2). When bellows 25 is we hausted, the switch-knife is withdrawn from the contacts, as shown in Fig. l. Bellows 25 maybetemporarily maintained in its collapsed state by a releasing lever 28 pivoted at 29 to arm 26 and engaged by a spring 30 that tends to raise said lever. The latter is provided with a detent 31 adapted to engage a corres oonding nose 32 formed at the lower end of knife 24. Lever 28 is guided by a forked arm 33 forming part of frame 20. A pin 33*, traversing fork 33 below lever 28, limits the downward stroke of the latter, while a finger 34, carried by frame 20, serves as an upper abutment for the lever. At its free end lever 28 is provided with an inclined disk 35 arranged vertically below a coin tube 36. hen a coin is discharged from said tube it will strike disk 35 to lower lever 28, whereupon it will slide off said disk and drop into box 19. By the descent of lever 28, detent 31 will be withdrawn from nose 32, thus permitting spring 27 to eX- pand bellows 25 and to interpose switchknife 24 between contacts 21, 22. These contacts are, by wires 37 38, connected to insulated binding posts 39, 40, which are, in turn, by wires 41, 42, connected to electromotor 10, a suitable source of electricity 43 being interpolated in wire 41. It will thus be seen that upon the engagement of lever 28 by a coin, a circuit will be closed which starts the electromotor 10, to play the piece desired.

In order to subsequently arrest motor 10, after the music piece has been played, means controlled by the perforated music sheet are provided which automatically collapse bel- Y of-bellowsGO secured to box ;15 by a suitable lows 25 to withdraw switch-knife 24 from contacts 21, 22. Such means are, for instance, comprised in Patent No. 870,744, granted to B. G. Peck, November '12, 1907. The device described inthis patent provides two adjoining perforations in the music sheet which operate a combination of valves that are adapted to connect the switch bellows with the main vacuumchest of the instrument. These valves and chest have not been shown inthe drawings of this case, a tube 44being however illustratedthat serves to connect .bellows 25 with the valves described inthe above citedpatent. It willbe seen that after the ,music piece has been played, ithe .air is withdrawn from bellows 25 to collapsethe same andopen,switch21, 22, the bellows being .maintained in their collapsed state owing to the engagement of nose 32 .with detent 31. In this POSltlOlhtllG parts will-remain untilthe next coinstrikes disk 35. Coin tube 36, which is open atits top and bottom, is mounted upon a support 45 secured to box 10 and provided with a ,perforation 46 alined with said tube. In proximity totube 36 there is mounted upon support 45 a second coin tube 47 that constitutes a. coin storing magazine.

Means are provided for conveying the coins inserted into the slot 48 of coin chute 49, either to tube 36 or magazine 47. The constructionis such, that when a singlecoin is introduced while the instrument .is at rest, this coin will pass unobstructed through tube 36 to strikedisk 35 and start the instrument. If, however, immediately upon the insertion of this first coin,.one or more additional coins are inserted ,into slot 48, this surplusage of coins will be automatically directed to ,magazine 47, to remain stored therein whileithe instrument is playing. After the first music piece has been rendered, the bottom coin contained inmagazine 47 is automatically .fed toward tube 36, to be discharged through opening 46 of support 45. This coin will drop upon disk 35 to re-start-the instrument, which operation will be repeated until the supply of coins stored .in magazine 47 has been exhausted. The construction for obtaining this result is as follows: The lower end of coin chute 49 is arranged slightly abovea coin switch 50 pivoted at 51 intermediate a pair of diverging coin ducts 52, 53. The latter are preferably rectangular in cross section and open into tubes 36, .47, respectively. Coin switch 50 is made in the form ofan openrectangular box and is provided with a centralpartition 64 that dividesthe box into a pair of coin passages .55, 56 which are arranged vertically above .ducts 52, 53, respectively. From switch .50 extends downwardly an arm 57 which is, by link 58, connected to the movable board .59

panded by a spring 62.

bracket 61, the bellows being normally ex- The relative arrangement of the parts is such that when bellows 60 are expanded, switch 50 assumes such a,pos1t1on.tl 1at coin passage 1s vertically alined with the discharge end of chute 49, (Fig. 4). In this way a coin leaving chute 49 will descend, unobstructed, through passage 55, duct 52, tube 36 and opening 46, to strike disk 35 and start the instrument in them-anner. described. -When,

however, bellows are .cOllapsecLswitch 50 '7 will betilted into the; position shown in .lfig. In this position, passage 56 has been swung beneath thedischarge end of chute 49, so that :acoin A leavingsaid chute, will descendthrough passage 56 and duct.53 into magazine 47, where it-will fall flat upon an imperforate bottom section 63 ofsupport 45. Above said section there is formed within support 45, a.longitudinalrecess 64 inwhich is reciprocably mounted ,a coin slide or ejector 65. The latter is provided with a depending ;pin i66 accommodated within a corresponding slot 67 of support 45. Pin 66 is engaged by the aperturedend of an arm 68 secured to :themovable-board 59 of bellows 60. The latter-are, by atube 69, permanently connected to the main vacuum chest of the instrument, (not shown).

The operation is as follows: Then the instrument is at rest the :.parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and .4. A coin A, passed into slot 49 will descend through chute 48, passage 55,.duct 52, tube .36 and opening 46,;to strike disk 35. ,Lever 28 will thus be depressed, whereby detent 31 is withdrawn from nose 32, to permit spring 27 to expand bellows 25 and insert switchknife-24 between contacts 21, 22. In this way a circuit will be closed to start electromotor 10 andcreate a vacuumin the main vacuum chest, aswill be readily understood. Owing to .the vacuum 1 thus established, bellows 60 will collapse to tilt coin switch 50 from the position shown in Figs. land 4, to-that shown in Figs. 2.;and 5, while at the same time, coin. ejector will be retracted. If one or more coins are now introduced into chute .49, they'will be conveyedthrough passage 56 and duct 53, to magazine 47. After the'first music piece has been played, the air will be withdrawn from tube 44, in the manner described, to collapse bellows 25 and thereby withdraw switch-knife 24 from contacts 21, 22. Theelectrie circuit being thus interrupted, electromotor 10 will come to rest and the vacuum previously maintained in the main vacuum chest will cease, permitting spring 62to expand bellows-60. Coinejector 65will thusbe advanced, ,thereby taking along the bottom coin of.the stackcontalnedin magazine 47. Thiscoin will fall through opening 46 upon disk 35 and thereby start a second piece of music, immediately upon the ending of the first piece. This operation will be repeated for each of the coins stored in magazine 47.

If desired, a suitable registering or counting device 70 may be added, a downwardly projecting arm 71 of which is, by rod 72, connected to the movable board of bellows 25. As the latter collapses once for every piece of music played, the amount of money accumulated within box 19 may be controlled.

It will be seen that by the construction described, any desired number of coins may be inserted into the coin slot in rapid succession, to consecutively play a corresponding number of music pieces.

The invention is particularly applicable to instruments used in dance halls, parks and similar places of amusement, in which the pleasure seekers desire to have a number of music pieces played in succession. In this case it is no longer necessary for the operator to step u to the instrument after each piece of muslc has been finished, but the coins may be introduced en masse, thus simplifying the operation, and avoiding undesirable breaks between the rendering of successive airs.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a coin chute, a coin tube, a coin magazine, a pair of diverging coin ducts communicating with the tube and magazine, respectively, and a coin switch for connecting the chute with either one of said ducts.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a coin chute, a coin tube, a coin magazine, a pair of diverging coin ducts communicating with the tube and magazine, respectively, a coin switch adapted to connect the chute with either one of said ducts, av coin ejector at the bottom of the magazine, and spring-influenced bellows operatively connected to the switch and eject-or.

Signed by me at St. Johnsville, N. Y., this 24th day of March, 1909.

ADAM J. HOBART.

WVitnesses WV. L. ENGELHARDT, JOHN D. CAIRNS. 

